A look into the holiday’s history shows why some cities are starting to shy away from the typical October 12th holiday.
Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue to “discover” America in 1492. While we know that Columbus did not actually land on U.S. soil, but rather on the Caribbean islands, students still get out of school, government buildings still shut down and many people still get a day off every second Monday in October in observance of Columbus Day. But what’s the holiday all about?
While there were Columbus Day celebrations as early as 1792, the holiday was officially established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in October, 1934. Many saw the holiday as a public relations stunt to secure the Catholic vote. Two years later, in the 1936 presidential elections, 75% of Catholics voted for FDR.
As of 2014, approximately 1 in 5 Americans identify as Catholic, but the identity wasn’t always welcomed in Protestant American society. In the late 1800s and early 1900s the US saw an increase in immigration from largely Catholic countries as famine and religious persecution spread across Europe. Immigrants were viewed as ”inferior” and the religious conflict that ensued caused anti-Catholic sentiments across the nation.
The United States has experienced “waves” of immigration for a large part of its history. From the mid-1800s to early 1900s immigration was largely from European countries. COURTESY OF MAX GALKA FOR METROCOSM.
To unite Catholic immigrants and paint them in a positive light, an Irish Catholic priest established a fraternal organization called the Knights of Columbus. They adopted Columbus’ namesake because he was already hailed in American society despite being an Italian Catholic from Spain. Following traditional Catholic teachings, the organization went on to do immense charity work, especially during World War I and the Great Depression.
FDR’s establishment of Columbus day in 1934 was in response to the Knights of Columbus’ charity and political work. The holiday was to recognize Irish, Italian and Spanish immigrant’s contributions to American society and was celebrated as a form of acceptance of Catholic immigrants into America’s framework.
Today, anti-Catholicism and discrimination against European immigrants is not as prevalent as it was 100 years ago and as such the Columbus Day holiday has evolved. Instead of celebrating immigrant spirit, the holiday is viewed as a celebration of American exploration and achievement without acknowledging the colonialism and massacre of natives that came with it.
Therefore many cities have started to change their Columbus Day celebrations. The state of Colorado has adopted October 12th as Frances Xavier Cabrini Day in order to continue celebrating Catholic Italian-American immigrants without celebrating Columbus himself. Other places, like Arizona and the cities of Houston and Grand Rapids have started honoring Indigenous People’s Day to recognize Columbus’ acts against native islanders he came in contact with.
This is not to change the holiday’s original intent of celebrating immigrant achievements and contributions, but rather to change the symbol used to convey it. Immigrants have always played a crucial role in the country’s history and it’s important to recognize their contributions, whether it be through Columbus Day or other means.
To view an interactive map of US Indigenous Populations, click here.
We are curious, what do you think of Columbus Day?
I feel like people shouldn’t think of the removal of Columbus Day as some sort of unpatriotic act. If we are truly the land of the free, where everyone is promised equal opportunity, what does it say about us if we are still glorifying Columbus’ vile acts of sexual assault and genocide? I think Indigenous People’s Day is a great alternative to Columbus Day because it actually celebrates the different types of people in our country, and hopefully will continue to promote more radical approaches towards INdigenous equality and freedom.
Although Columbus was responsible for vile heinous acts, I think the holiday should still be in his name. We do not have to honor or revere the man, however, without his findings, we may not have the America we know today. When countries or tribes conquered new lands they conquered everything including sadly the women. This was how things were at the time and it continued all the way to the world wars. The Imperial Japanese conducted many war crimes yet they still have the Yasukuni Shrine to commemorate some of the men who participated in it. Without western expansion, we would not have California and the west coast even if that meant many cultures were destroyed and people were displaced in the process. With all countries, there is dark history. In all parts of history, some people had power, and others were subjected to it. I just don’t know if denying our history is healthy, we should embrace the good and the bad or people will forget about it in the first place. Then those who suffered will also be forgotten as well.